Citroën C5

Citroën C5
Overview
Manufacturer	Citroën
Production	2001–present
Body and chassis
Class	Large family car (D)
Layout	Front-engine, front-wheel-drive
Chronology
Predecessor	Citroën XM Citroën Xantia

The Citroën C5 is a large family car produced by the French manufacturer Citroën since early 2001, and now in its second generation. The C5 replaced the Citroën Xantia, in the large family car class. It is the first Citroen with "Cx" naming nomenclature.

First generation (DC/DE, 2001–2007)

First generation DC/DE
Overview
Production	2001–2007
Assembly	Rennes, France (Rennes Plant) Wuhan, China (Dongfeng)
Body and chassis
Body style	5-door liftback 5-door wagon
Platform	PSA PF3
Related	Citroën C6 Peugeot 407
Powertrain
Engine	1.8 L I4 (petrol) 2.0 L I4 (petrol) 3.0 L V6 (petrol) 1.6 L I4 (diesel) 2.0 L I4 (diesel) 2.2 L I4 (diesel)
Transmission	5-speed manual 6-speed manual 4-speed automatic 6-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,750 mm (108.3 in)
Length	4,745 mm (186.8 in) (liftback) 4,839 mm (190.5 in) (wagon)
Width	1,770 mm (69.7 in)
Height	1,476 mm (58.1 in) (liftback) 1,511 mm (59.5 in) (wagon)

2001–2004 Citroën C5, rear view

Citroën C5 station wagon, rear view

2005 Citroën C5 facelift

2005 Citroën C5 facelift, rear view

The first generation C5 was available as a five-door hatchback or five door wagon styles only. Unlike its predecessors, the C5 was a hatchback with a three-box design and a hatch. This form actually disguised the hatch, so Citroën has completely reversed the design philosophy from the fastback saloon era of Robert Opron. Power came from 1.8 and 2.0-litre straight-4 and 3.0-litre V6 petrol engines as well as 1.6, 2.0 and 2.2-litre direct injection diesel engines.

The first generation C5 was the last Citroën developed under the chairmanship of Jacques Calvet (1982–1999).

The C5 had a further development of Citroën's hydropneumatic suspension, now called Hydractive 3. The major change with this system was the use of electronic sensors to replace the mechanical height correctors seen in all previous hydropneumatic cars. This allowed the suspension computer to automatically control ride height: at high speed the suspension is lowered to reduce drag and at low speeds on bumpy roads the ride height is raised. Manual control of ride height was retained, though it was overridden by the computer if the car was driven at an inappropriate speed for the selected height. Certain cars also featured the computer controlled ride stiffness, called Hydractive 3+, seen on the Xantia and XM.

In a major break with Citroën tradition, the brakes nor steering were no longer powered by the same hydraulic system as the suspension, but the power steering used the same LDS fluid with its own pump. It has been speculated that the primary driver for this was the cost of developing electronic brake force distribution for the system when the PSA Group already had an implementation for conventional brakes. Another factor may be the highly responsive nature of 'traditional' Citroën brakes, which some have found hard to adjust to on other hydropneumatic cars, though it is felt by some to be superior.

In 2004, the C5 underwent a major facelift (new front and rear ends; same centre section) to bring it into line with the look of the new Citroën C4. The hatchback was lengthened from 4,618 mm (181.8 in) to 4,745 mm (186.8 in) and the wagon from 4,755 mm (187.2 in) to 4,840 mm (190.6 in). Also this new version got swivelling directional headlights.

The Hydractive suspension improves ride quality, keeps the car levelled, and enables the car to drive on three wheels if one tire is flat. The suspension is derived from the Hydropneumatic suspension used in the 1950s Citroën DS. Variations in height using the Hydractive suspension range up to 15 mm (0.6 in) in the front and 11 mm (0.4 in) in the back.

Second generation (RD/TD, 2008–present)

Second generation RD/TD
Overview
Production	2007–present
Assembly	Rennes, France (Rennes Plant) Wuhan, China (Dongfeng-PSA)
Designer	Domagoj Djukec
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door sedan 5-door wagon
Platform	PSA PF3 platform
Related	Peugeot 508
Powertrain
Engine	1.8 L I4 (petrol) 2.0 L I4 (petrol) 1.6 L I4 (petrol) 3.0 L V6 (petrol) 1.6 L I4 (diesel) 2.0 L I4 (diesel) 2.0 L I4 (diesel) 2.2 L I4 (diesel) 2.7 L V6 (diesel) 3.0 L V6 (diesel)
Transmission	5-speed manual 6-speed manual 6-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,814 mm (110.8 in)
Length	4,778 mm (188.1 in) (sedan) 4,829 mm (190.1 in) (wagon)
Width	1,852 mm (72.9 in)
Height	1,455 mm (57.3 in) (sedan) 1,471 mm (57.9 in) (wagon)

The second generation C5 was officially unveiled in October 2007 and does not retain the hatchback body style, instead being a regular, three box saloon of an aerodynamic shape. However, this second generation is often criticised, especially by core Citroën fans, for its German-like exterior design, which makes it look more like a German saloon, than a French one. It was launched in February 2008,^[1] with the wagon version following in May 2008,^[1] and receives the name of Tourer. This C5 won 2009 Semperit Irish Car of the Year, as well as being awarded 2008-09 Japan's Import Car of the Year.

The second generation is available with conventional springs as well as the hydropneumatic suspension and 2.7L Ford AJD-V6/PSA DT17 engine from the Citroën C6. In 2009 the 2.7L was replaced by an updated 3.0L unit which, despite offering more power, has improved fuel consumption and emissions.^[2] In 2010 the 2.0L HDi 140 and the 2.2L HDi 173 engines were replaced by the 2.0L HDi 160 engine mated to a 6 speed automatic or manual transmissions to comply with the Euro 5. Similarly, the 2.0L 16V 143 bhp petrol engine was replaced by the 1.6L THP 155 from the DS3 mated to a six speed manual transmission.

In 2011, the C5 was given a mild facelift with a few cosmetic changes such as LED lights. Three engines were added to the range consisting of two diesels - 2.0 HDI 160 and a 2.2 HDI 200 as well as a petrol engine - 1.6 VTI 120.

In July 2012, the C5 was given another mild facelift with a few cosmetic changes such as softer chevron badging, modified c5 badging, softer chevron "grille" as per the recently updated C4, and exclusive badges (on the Exclusive) on the sides in front of the front doors. For the Exclusive the onboard GPS/radio head was also changed to the eMyWay unit which features full bluetooth connectivity and iPod/USB interface.

E-Touch

Comprising a package of services including the emergency and assistance calls, Citroen eTouch also proposes a virtual maintenance manual and an Eco-Driving service accessible via the MyCitroen personal area on the web. For calls, Citroen eTouch works completely independently. The system is equipped with a GPS module and a SIM card, with no need for a call plan and unlimited over time. The vehicles features two buttons, "SOS" for emergency calls (the call is also triggered automatically in the event of impact) and "Double Chevron" for assistance calls. The emergency call gets emergency services to customers faster, for accident victims and bystanders alike. The two services are free and available at any time.

Gallery

• 

  Second generation Citroën C5 Saloon, rear view

• 

  Second generation Citroën C5 Tourer, rear view

• 

  Interior

• 

  Citroën C5, July 2012 facelift

Sales and production

References

External links

• Official Citroën website

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Citroën C5.